Fluoroalkyl silanes are a class of compounds useful for various industrial purposes. For example, fluoroalkyl silanes which have hydrolysable groups (called hydrolysable fluoroalkyl silanes), are compounds useful as surface treatment agents which provide durable hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings. In general, hydrolysable fluoroalkyl silanes can be represented with the following formula: (RO—)3Si—RT wherein R is H or an alkyl; and RT is a monovalent organic compound terminated by a perfluoroalkyl group. When used to coat a surface, the (RO—)3 moiety reacts (via hydrolysis) with various chemical groups of the surface (e.g. hydroxyl, amine, or other reactive groups) thereby bonding the fluoroalkyl silane to the surface The RT moiety comprises a divalent organic linking group which links the silicon atom to a terminal group rich in fluorine atoms whose unique electronic properties impart desirable hydrophobic and oleophobic properties in a surface coating.
Efforts have been made to engineer fluoroalkyl silanes by incorporating RT moieties which have different divalent organic linking groups which link to the silicon atom of the fluoroalkyl silane. Examples of such divalent organic linking groups include esters, sulfonamides, amides, ethers, thioethers, arylenes, urethanes, and hydrines as discussed by EP 0157218 A1; JP 2002053805 A; EP 0950662 A1; EP 0640611 A1; US 2006147645 A1; US 2005136264 A1; EP 864622 A2 as well as Bommelaer, J. et al. J. Fluorine Chem. 1991, 55(1), 79-83; Bovenkamp, J. W. et al. Ind. Eng. Chem. Prod. Res. Dev. 1981, 20(1), 130-133; Howarter, J. et al. Polym. Preprints (American Chemical Society, Division of Polymer Chemistry) 2005, 46(2), 21-22). The foregoing references are evidence that modification of the RT moiety is useful in the engineering of fluoroalkyl silanes. The present invention provides for fluoroalkyl silanes having RT moieties which have not been heretofore considered.